Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Rinse the spinach, then chop it finely. Take a bowl, put chopped spinach and gram flour in it. Mix it well, add little water to form thick paste. To the paste add salt, garam masala, dhania powder, red chilli powder, and baking powder and mix well.In a kadai, heat oil on a high flame. Make small balls of spinach paste and fry till it becomes golden brown. Serve with mint chutney or tomato sauce.

1. Make the sauce: melt margarine in a saucepan, sprinkle in 25 g (1 oz) flour and stir over low heat for 1 - 2 minutes until straw-coloured. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the milk and the egg yolk. Return to heat and simmer, stirring, until thick and smooth.

2. Stir in the chicken, ham, mushrooms and oregano and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture on to a large plate, spread it out with a knife and leave to cool for 15 - 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 110C/225F/Gas 1/4 and make up the batter according to the packet instructions.

4. Stretch each of the bacon rashers with the back of a knife and then cut them in half.

5. Divide the chicken mixture into 12, then roll each piece into a ball, and shape it into a roll. Wrap each roll with bacon.

6. Spread out the remaining 15 g (1/2 oz) flour on a flat plate and season with salt and pepper. Dip each roll in the flour until evenly coated.

7. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 190C/375F or until a day-old bread cube browns in 50 seconds.

8. Dip the rolls one at a time into the batter, then drop into the hot oiland deep fry 6 at a time for about 6 minutes until golden and crispy. 9 Drain on absorbent paper and keep warm in oven while cooking the second batch.

Boil, skin and mash the potatoes. Add coriander leaves, chilli powder, garam masala powder, corn flour and salt and mix it. Make flat tikkis using small quantity of the mixture and roll it in bread crumbs.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

In a dry heavy sauce pan, dry roast the flour till light pinkish in colour.Remove and keep aside to cool.Melt butter in the pan, add half the milk.Mix the remaining milk in the cooled flour to form a smooth paste.When milk comes to a boil, add paste and stir continuously.Bring back to a boil.Cook till the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon thickly.Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper and stir to mix well.Use as required in individual recipes.

Note: I have used the above method as against the traditional method of frying the flour in the butter, since this way the consumption of fat (butter) is reduced as also the chance of lump formation is minimised. It is easier to handle by beginners.

Banana leaves (each 10 in. x 10 in. approx.) 4 nos.The basic idea is to cook the fish in a banana-leaf envelope. If you do not find banana leaves at your local grocers, you may use tender pumpkin leaves instead. However, the hallmark of this dish is its distinctive aroma, which only a banana leaf can lend.

Procedure:Add all ingredients (except the banana leaves, of course) together and mix well. Thin out the rib running through the center of the banana leaf by slicing so that the leaf can rest flat on the frying pan.

Pre heat frying pan. Lay two leaves on the frying pan. Place fish-mix on the leaf. Place one leaf on top of the mix to cover the entire mix. Place lid on the frying pan. Cook on low flame for about 10 mins.

Remove cover. Place a large plate on top of the pan, and turn the pan upside down real fast, so that the contents of the pan are now transferred to the plate upside down.

Now there are two leaves on top of the mix, and one at the bottom. The topmost leaf will have burnt off considerably. Remove it. Place a fresh banana leaf on the pan. Transfer the entire content carefully from the plate to the pan. Replace lid and cook under low flame for about 10 mins.

Your Steamed Fish in Banana leaf is now ready. Serve hot with any form of rice, viz., fried rice, jeera rice, pulao, etc.

Take two liter milk in a big saucepan and make it to boil. Remove from heat, put the lemon juice in the milk, stir constantly, chana is ready. Now take a fine Muslin cloth drain the water from chana. Chana should be completely dry. Make 20 lemon size ball with chana. Make a paste with cashew nuts. Take another saucepan, pour 1 liter milk for payesh into the pan let it boil in medium heat. Put the cardamom seeds and cashew nut mix in the milk, then put the sugar. Let the milk boil at medium-low heat for 30-35 minutes. The milk should be thicken and light yellow in colour. Then put the chana or paneer balls very slowly and carefully, don't let the balls break. Then stir the milk slowly at medium-low heat for another 10-20 minutes or untill the balls become fluffy and smooth. Then remove from heat, garnish with chopped pistachios. Refrigerate for atleast 2-3 hours. Serve chilled payesh as a delicious sweet dish.

2. To prepare each spring roll: Position one wrapper like a diamond with one point facing you. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling in a log shape across the bottom about 2" from the lowest corner. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling and tuck it behind the filling. Roll the packet up once to enclose the filling securely. Moisten the three remaining corners of the wrapper with beaten egg. Fold the left and right corners to the center and press down firmly to seal, forming an envelope. Finish rolling up, sealing the top corner. Repeat with remaining packets.

3. (Spring rolls may be prepared a few hours ahead and refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to cook. Make sure they do not touch each other or the dough will stick together.)

4. In a deep-fryer or wok, heat 4 cups of oil to 360 -375 degrees F. Deep-fry spring rolls a few at a time, until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve the spring rolls hot, whole or cut in thirds, with plum sauce as a dip.

1. Mix the pork with the soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, MSG, salt, and sugar. Stir in one direction until it becomes a paste. Stir in the sesame oil and mix well.

2. Add 9 oz (250 ml) of cold water gradually to the flour and mix into a dough. Let rest. Turn out onto a flour board and knead until firm and elastic.

3. Knead the dough again and cut into 1/2 oz (15 g) balls. Flatten each ball lightly with your hand, then roll out each piece into a 3 inch (7 to 8 cm) circle, rotating the dough counter-clockwise while rolling so the centre is slightly thicker than the edges. Place about 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp (20 g) of filling on each circle and pinch the edges together into 18 pleats. Place the dumpling in a steamer and steam for 5 minutes over high heat.

Note: These dumplings are delicate in appearance and taste. the wrappers are thin and the filling deliciously juicy.

METHOD: Half fill a heavy iron frying pan with oil. Cut the crusts off the bread and soak briefly in the milk. Dip both sides of each slice of bread into the beaten eggs. Heat the oil and plunge the slices into the pan one by one, frying each side for ten minutes until golden brown. Remove from the pan and leave to drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot.

Sandwich bread is best for the recipe, as the result is lighter. It is even tastier if very finely cut slices of Gruyèr cheese are laid on top of the fresly fried bread so that they gently melt into it. Golden fried bread can also be used to great effect in soups. Cut the slices into cubes and place in the soup dishes before serving clear beef broth a table.

A historic cookery book compiled by Domenico Romoli contains a recipe for Pan dorato con burrito (butter) but, in keeping eith Renaissance and medioeval tastes, the croutons were flavoured with sugar and cinnamon.

METHOD:Preheat oven to 375°F. While oven is heating,add ground beef and taco seasoning to a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Cook beef until no longer pink,about 8 to 10 minutes,drain if needed. Lightly spray two medium sized cookie sheets with cooking spray. Place two tortillas on each sheet,then lightly spray tortillas with more cooking spray. Bake tortillas until lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove tortillas from oven and evenly spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of salsa on each. Divide ground beef, corn, onions, and tomatoes evenly over each tortilla. Divide cheese evenly over the top of ground beef mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To dip:Take 2-3 tablespoon of Maida & add little bit of water and mix them well (itshould be pouring like idli flour)

Powder: Take 3-4 slices of bread & powder them. (you can use either breadscrumbs)

Finely cut all the above said vegetables. Wash & Pressure-cook with little bit of water, turmeric powder &salt.Smash them & keep it aside (if there is any excess waterin the cookedvegetables just drain).Heat one tablespoon of oil.Fry onions till it turns into brown & add the grounded paste.

Just fry for a few seconds.Then add the smashed vegetables & fry till it gets thickened. Wait to cool.Then make them into small balls and dip it in the above said maida consistency & immediately smear them in the above said powder and spread them in the plate or paper to dry.

Once everything is over just do deep-fry or roast both the sides of them by adding little bit of oil till it turns into brown in the tava.

Make well in the flour.Add oil, salt and little water.Mix well till crumbly.Add more water little by little, kneading into soft pliable dough.Cover with moist cloth, keep aside for 15-20 minutes. Beat dough on worksurface and knead again. Re-cover.

Make a thin 5" diam. round with some dough.Cut into two halves. Run a moist finger along diameter.Join and press together to make a cone.Place a tbsp. of filling in the cone and seal third side as above.Make five to six.

Put in hot oil, deep fry on low to medium till light brown. Do not fry on high, or the samosas will turn out oily and soggy. Drain on racks or kitchen paper.Serve hot with green and tamarind chutneys (refer chutneys), or tomato sauce.